Tonight's UAB-Temple men's basketball game was flagged by gambling watchdog US Integrity due to “unusual betting activity” that took place on the day of the game.

The company, which was hired by the American Athletic Conference, notified casinos of suspicious line activity, prompting many books to stop betting on the games. According to Sports IllustratedUS Integrity has been monitoring Temple's games “for some time.”

US Integrity is the same company that excavated the Alabama ruins baseball gambling scandal That led to the firing of Crimson Tide head coach Brad Bohannon.

The Blazers were playing at Temple's Liacouras Center and were favorites by about two points as of Thursday morning. UAB he received a large amount of wagers throughout the day. By 6 p.m., they were eight-point favorites. The consensus line ultimately settled at -7.5 in favor of the Blazers.

Such a large change in odds in a single day is almost unprecedented. In fact, it was one of the biggest single-day shifts of any college basketball game this season. Normally, a line move this big would be news of a major injury or suspension, but neither UAB nor Temple missed any players.

Note:

There were no late-game injuries or suspensions that could have affected the lineup as much as this time.

@2ndChancePoint The team drew attention to the unusual line shift leading up to the game.

This is why conferences hire companies like US Integrity.

— Pat Ford (@ByPatForde) March 8, 2024

The Blazers defeated the Owls 100-72. UAB defeated Temple 41-19, TU's worst rebound differential in five years, grabbing 10 offensive boards and one for the Owls. The Blazers made threes at a 55.6% clip and turned the ball over just seven times. UAB became the fourth team since 1949 to score at least 100 points at Temple.

This isn't the first time Owls games have seen strange changes in betting lines. Gambling analyst Jim Root called the Temple-Memphis game earlier this season that Memphis was “betted on for no reason,” even though there were no major injuries or suspensions for either team. .

“It's strange to see it a second time at Temple,” Root added. “This is strange. This is not a normal occurrence in the market, especially this late in the season.”

“I don't find anything here. Look, I'm not saying this is skimping on points… It's weird to see it a second time at the Temple.”

Jim Root of the Temple basketball team has undergone a dramatic change for the second time this year.pic.twitter.com/nBSlnAUYZ8

— Terrible announcement (@awfulpayment) March 8, 2024

Temple failed to cover the spread for the second straight game. The Owls, who were 5.5 point favorites to win the home title against Tulsa on March 2, lost by five points.

A “conference and/or NCAA investigation” into the Temple basketball program could be on the horizon, according to veteran Philadelphia sports journalist Howard Eskin.

There is currently a lot of talk about the possibility of hosting a conference and/or both. #NCAA In addition to last night's game against UAB, there is also an investigation surrounding Temple basketball. https://t.co/0SH8C0XWKj

— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) March 8, 2024

Both the American Athletic Conference and Temple University are aware of the situation.

“We're aware they reported it,” AAC communications director Tom Fenstermaker told Sports Illustrated.

“We are aware of social media posts regarding last night's men's basketball game. We will thoroughly review the reports in accordance with university and NCAA policies. We are unable to comment further at this time, but… We take this matter very seriously,” said Chad Cooper, Temple's director of strategic communications.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is “reviewing this matter,” a spokesperson said.

Charles Vaughan is a sports analyst and contributing writer for Yellowhammer News.